From the top of the Albany Bulb this month, Golden Gate Fields looks the way it has since the last race in June 2024. The track is padlocked, the parking lot is closed, and the red and green grandstand still faces the bay. On Monday, October 5, a group of East Bay officials took what Berkeleyside called a goodbye tour of the property, which is set to become one of the largest new shoreline parks in the region.

Most of the money is now committed. But for anyone who walks the Bulb, Albany Beach, or the Bay Trail, the next year at Golden Gate Fields depends on two things that get less attention: a demolition permit under review at Albany City Hall, and a parking lot that could open to Bulb visitors before any park design exists.

The permit that comes before the purchase

The deal requires the seller, the Canadian-owned Stronach Group, to remove every structure on the site before the land changes hands. That includes the wooden grandstand and its thousands of seats, the one-mile oval where Triple Crown winner Citation raced in 1948, the stables, and everything else above ground.

Stronach applied for a demolition permit from the City of Albany, where most of the property sits, on June 25. As of the Mercury News report on October 6, neither Albany nor Berkeley had issued one. Albany City Manager Nicole Almaguer told the paper the city needs more detail from the applicant on demolition timelines, truck routes, and environmental protection during the work. "Honestly, I don't have a date," she said. "It's under review." She said she hopes the permit can be issued by the end of this year.

The same report points to the weather. Strong El Niño conditions have raised the odds of a wet Bay Area winter, and if the buildings aren't down within about three months, the transfer could be delayed or complicated.

The demolition rule also explains why the grandstand question came up so often at Albany's town hall. Several speakers asked that the clubhouse, grandstand, and smaller historic features be considered for preservation. East Bay Regional Park District General Manager Max Korten said the demolition requirement was part of the deal before the park district got involved, and that it was likely too late to change, according to the Albany Scanner. Council members asked him to push for individual landmarks anyway.

The calendar between now and January

The demolition runs alongside a series of public votes. Here is the sequence as reported in early October 2026:

1. October 20: The East Bay Regional Park District board is expected to formally agree to take ownership. The meeting is on the district's 2026 schedule, but its agenda wasn't yet listed among upcoming documents on the district's meetings portal when we checked.
2. November: The California Wildlife Conservation Board votes on its share of the state funding.
3. December: The California State Coastal Conservancy votes on its share.
4. December 15: Trust for Public Land plans to exercise its purchase option by putting down $1.75 million, which starts a 30-day escrow.
5. January 14: The trust expects to close escrow, take title, and transfer the land to the park district the same day.

The park district's project page gives a different forecast: transfer in spring 2027, public planning from 2027 to 2029, and phased construction after 2029. Korten also told the Albany town hall that the purchase has to close by the end of the year, with the park district taking ownership in the spring under the current schedule. That doesn't match the trust's January 14 handoff, and the sources don't reconcile the two dates.

The $175 million price breaks down this way. The state is putting in $125 million, most of it from Proposition 4, the climate bond voters approved in 2024. The park district has pledged $20 million, and Trust for Public Land is raising the remaining $30 million from private donors and other public sources. When Albany Mayor Peggy McQuaid spoke to Berkeleyside after the tour, she said: "We're ending the preamble, and now the work begins."

What changes first on a walk to the Bulb

The first change on the ground may be a place to park. Korten told the Mercury News he hopes to open parts of the closed racetrack parking lot early next year for people who hike and walk dogs at the Albany Bulb. That matters because the park district describes parking at the Buchanan Street entrance to the Albany waterfront as limited.

At the Albany town hall, Korten said there is no set opening date for a park, but the district wants to add amenities in phases. Among the early ideas he mentioned were more parking at Albany Beach and possibly a food truck program. The park district says the site will be secured for safety after acquisition, and public access will grow gradually as safety work, restoration, and infrastructure are finished.

Restoration is also built into the funding. About $53 million of the state money comes from the Wildlife Conservation Board, and that portion has to go toward restoration. Korten named Codornices Creek as a likely beneficiary. "Right now, it makes a right-hand turn into basically a ditch that runs out to the bay," he said, as reported by the Albany Scanner.

Why the town hall kept coming back to money

On Monday, September 28, more than 100 people filled the Albany Community Center and spilled into the hallway, and more than 400 more watched online. About 30 people spoke. The Albany Scanner listed the ideas: a wedding venue, a swim clubhouse, mini golf, a conference center, horse stables, a hotel, and a spa.

Many of those ideas earn money, and the reason is the tax roll. Once the land is publicly owned, Albany expects to lose about $2.2 million a year in tax revenue, according to the Mercury News. That includes roughly $1.1 million in special taxes for city infrastructure and about $700,000 for the Albany Unified School District. The city has said its biggest single hit is the Measure K parcel tax for emergency medical services. The racetrack pays about $400,000 a year of that tax, which is nearly 20 percent of its total.

The funding source limits how much of that gap the land can cover. Korten said the Proposition 4 money restricts the site to "park uses," though that still leaves some room within state rules and Albany's own. When Councilman Preston Jordan asked for examples of park revenue, Korten said Tilden Golf Course brings the district about $800,000 a year, more than any other concession, and the Tilden steam train about $50,000. Even the district's top earner would cover less than half of the roughly $1.8 million the property now pays the city in special taxes and the school district combined.

Housing comes up often but faces its own limits. Assemblymember Buffy Wicks told Berkeleyside that because of the land's zoning, Albany voters would have to approve any residential development, and the infrastructure needed for housing would be costly.

Several speakers pointed to an older plan. Voices to Vision, Albany's waterfront planning process, finished in 2010. Former City Manager Beth Pollard said about 1,200 people took part, and they supported allowing up to a quarter of the property to be developed, with conference facilities, event space, hotel rooms, and restaurants among the top ideas. Mayor McQuaid told the Mercury News that her own wish is a performing arts center, since Albany's theater recently closed.

What's open on the waterfront today

None of this closes the shoreline you already use. The park district says the Bay Trail will stay open through the project.

If you walk a dog here, the rules change depending on whose land you're on. The Bulb belongs to the City of Albany, while Albany Beach is park district land. The district's general rules require leashes in parking areas and on paved regional trails, and they bar dogs from beaches. A recent Berkeleyside guide describes off-leash areas at the Bulb and dogs swimming at Albany Beach. Posted signs are the best guide on any given day. The district's alerts page listed no closures for the Bulb, Albany Beach, or McLaughlin Eastshore when we checked.

Where the next round of input happens

The park district says formal public engagement on the park's design will start after acquisition, run with Albany and Berkeley. The district and Trust for Public Land are raising several million dollars to pay for a planning process with public meetings next year. In the meantime, the project page has an email sign-up for updates, and questions go to [email protected].

The October 20 board meeting is the next public step. The district's public meetings page says board meetings are hybrid, so you can attend at headquarters or join by Zoom. Regular open sessions start at 1 p.m. Berkeley's Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront Commission meets Wednesday, October 14, at 7 p.m., but Golden Gate Fields is not on that agenda.

I'll be watching for the demolition permit and the December 15 option date, because those two will show whether the January timeline holds. If you're thinking about how the waterfront plans might affect your own plans for an Albany home, Elic Suazo is happy to talk it through. Schedule a consultation to explore your East Bay options.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.